OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) Heroes Ball will be this Saturday, July 26, and we are excited about the honorees who have been selected this year.
The 2025 awards, as chosen by our Board of Directors, will recognize the work of Justice Yvonne Kauger (retired), Kim Garrett-Funk of Palomar, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and Sandra Sand, paramedic and assistant director at Kirk’s Ambulance in Lawton.
We also present People’s Choice Award in Child Advocacy for an individual and an organization. These two awards – named for Anne Roberts, OICA’s longest serving executive director – are up for public voting right now. You can learn more about each finalist and vote at https://oica.org/ awards prior to Friday at 5 p.m. The nominees this year are: Organizational finalists are: M&R Doyle Holdings, Inc.; OK Appleseed Center for Law & Justice; Oklahoma Family Network; Pivot; Rainbow Youth Project; and Ray of Hope.
Individual finalists: Sky Collins, Elizabeth Fisher, Darryl Savell, John Schneider, Sarah Soell, and Erika Wright.
While we are certainly ready for these festivities, our advocacy work has not stopped. The state Senate announced their list of interim studies which will be held over the upcoming months. Thank you to those who submitted ideas to lawmakers, and to those who sent suggestions to lawmakers through OICA. Some of the studies we will be watching include: 25-001 was filed by Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, and will look at ways to potentially eliminate the purchase of junk food, sodas, and energy drinks through SNAP, and look to limit use to healthy choices for family meals.
25-027 by Sen. JoAnna Dossett, D-Tulsa, will examine best practices in prenatal and infant healthcare, including a look at policies to assist pregnant mothers who are battling substance abuse disorders.
25-036 by Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, will hold a study reviewing the legal framework, prosecutorial practices, and real-world implications surrounding the various “failure to protect” laws, or enabling child abuse, including child sexual abuse, child abuse, and child neglect.
25-046 by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, will look at potential policies for improving maternal and infant health outcomes through proven, costeffective models of care, which would include looking at evidencebased models of care that improve health outcomes for pregnant women and infants.
25-064 and 25-066, both filed by Sen. Nikki Nice, D-Oklahoma City, will look at modernizing the Oklahoma Child Tax Credit and improving maternal health and reducing infant mortality rates, respectively.
25-067, also submitted by Senator Nice, will examine the root causes of student absenteeism in Oklahoma’s public schools and identify effective, fiscally responsible strategies for improving attendance.
25-072, submitted by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, will conduct an analysis of money going into the school lunch program, and look for ways to localize food sources and to make school lunches more nutritious.
25-076 by Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, R-Jenks, will conduct a similar study that examines the benefits and costs of universal healthy meals for all students attending public schools in Oklahoma.
25-082 by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, looks at the nutritional value in choices available under the SNAP program, similar to 25-001.
The final study submitted, 25-090, was filed by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, and will examine Oklahoma’s response to human trafficking and assess service gaps and funding inequities, along with exploring solutions to ensure victims receive comprehensive care.
If you have an interest in a specific study, please reach out to the office of the lawmaker who submitted the study. You can find their contact information at oksenate. gov or call their Capitol number at (405) 5240126. House studies are still under review, so we will keep you posted on any updates.
